Russia reverses ban on frozen poultry imports

Russian authorities have reversed an earlier decision to ban the sale of frozen chicken, which was to have come into force on January 1st.

Russia's consumer rights watchdog will allow frozen chicken meat imports from the start of the year, after thinking again on the issue, according to Russia's chief sanitary official Gennady Onishchenko.

RIA Novosti reports Onishchenko as saying: "As for a total ban, we have postponed it for the foreign market, and we will continue increasing chilled meat turnover on the internal market."

In November, Onishchenko said poultry freezing was an outdated and crude technology, which led to a loss of many of the useful qualities of meat. He also praised the inert gas technology.

The National Meat Association said at the time that a technology for chilling poultry in inert gas did not exist, while the intention to ban freezing raised the question of whether Russia intended to export meat, as it could not be exported chilled.